Granite State, here we come!
by GinnyRueLover
Summary: Emma, Jess, Cassidy, Megan, Becca, and their moms are taking a vaca... to New Hampshrire! They explore landmarks, sites and so much more. What they thought as all right soon turns out to be AMAZING!
1. Cassidy -1

Just Saying- I don't own the fabulous Mother-Daughter-Book-Club! That's Heather Frederick's job!

Happy Reading!

***************Cassidy***************

It's a fabulous Saturday morning in February. I wake, stretch, and look the window. Bummer. It's raining. I was going to go outside and sled down the small hill in the backyard. Then I brighten. This day won't go to waste after all! I have book club.

I love book club. I can be myself, and be with my best friends, Emma, Jess, Megan, and believe it or not, Becca, are there, plus their moms. I glance at my clock. It's nine, and book club will be here at eleven. I yawn and throw on a pair of sweatpants and a Lady Shawmuts tee shirt. I don't care how I look.

I pad down stairs in my socks. Mom's feeding Chloe, my two-year-old sister, and Stanley, my stepdad, is reading the newspaper. Courtney, my older sister, is at collage. It still gives me a pang when I think about how she's gone. Just like when I think about Dad and how he's gone.

"Hey, Monkey-Face!" I squeal to Chloe as I open the fridge for some orange juice. I'm a junior now, and I'm too old for squealing. But I don't care. Chloe can bring out the best in everyone.

"Don't forget, our friends will be here soon," Mom reminds me. I nod and chug my glass of juice. Then I look at Mom. She's grinning and one knee is bouncing like a jackhammer. I narrow my eyebrows. "Mom? Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

She shakes her head unconvincingly. I'll have to get to the bottom of this later. But now, I need to eat. I grab a bowl of oatmeal and take it onto the family room to eat while I watch my favorite TV show. Suddenly, I notice an envelope on the coffee table. I set my bowl down and look at the envelope. The return address is Loon Mountain, New Hampshire. I'm about to open it when my mother comes in.

She whisks it away and I shrug. I flick on the TV and all thought of Loon and the envelope clear my mind.

I'm in the dining room, sitting in between Becca and Jess as we discuss the book we're reading this year. It's really good. Suddenly, Mrs. Delaney draws it to a close and glances around the table, a smile on her lips. "Any of you going anywhere for February Break?" she asks casually.

Everyone shakes their heads. Every mom looks like they might burst with excitement. "Okay," Mrs. Wong says. "We decided to take another Mother-daughter trip!"

The whole room starts buzzing in excitement. "Where?" Emma wonders.

Her mother winks. "To New Hampshire!"

All of a sudden everything is quiet. You could hear a pin drop. "New Hampshire?" Megan repeats. "But it's so... tiny and boring."

Mrs. Chadwick shakes her head. "Nuh-uh- Megs. Not counting Massachusetts, New Hampshire is one of the most interesting states. It has an incredible beach boardwalk..."

I perk up. I loved Laguna Beach. Maybe N.H. will be the same.

"It's called Hampton beach. It also has nation wide famous ski resorts..."

I'm grinning. Skiiing is a sport, and I love sports. Count me in!

"Franconia Notch, and one of the best school districts in the country."

I'm impressed. Megs, Becca, Em, Jess, and I make a wordless decision. We are totally on board!

"We'll rent two R.V's", Mom continues. "We'll cruise around that state over February Break!"

The dining room erupts in cheers. Final score- Book Club- a ka-trillion. Our rival-0. We have no rival!

Life is good.

**Hi! Cassie again! Please review if you liked it! Even one will make me smile! I promise not to be T00 late on updates... the next one will be up by Feb. 3 at latest. (One week) If you like my stories, be sure to check out my other story, The 56th Hunger Games. It's about Deutzia Ire, a poor twelve year old who is reaped along with her crush. It's not the first one when you search for it, so be sure to scroll down a bit! Thanks again for reading!**

**Check ya later**

**Cassie X0 **


	2. Jess-2

"Woahhhhhh."

We're standing in the Wong's drivway, staring at the looming RVs parked. They rented them for us. Megan's parents are so generous.

My siutcase is stuffed full with clothes, books, my camera, and my phone, we're going to be spending a lot of time in the RVs. Right now it's Saturday, the first officail day of February break. It's eleven thirty and I'm pumped!

"Isn't this exciting?" Emma's brown eyes are sparkling. I nod enthusiasticly. "This is going to be EPIC!" I exclaim.

"Totally," Cassidy piped up. "My mom said that she's got a surprise for us at the end of the week."

I gasp. Book club surprises are legendary. Once, We went to England. Another time we got to go to New York City. The list is endless.

Mrs. Wong, my mom, and Emma's mom are talking in a group. I bet that's the surprise! Cassidy, Emma and I slowly creep towards them. Silently, we try to listen in but a hand lands on my shoulder.

"Miss Delaney, what are you doing?"

My stomach turns over. I look over my shoulder, expecting to see one of the dads about to chew us out, but it's only Darcy. I leap into his arms and he kisses me. "Promise to be back soon", he murmurs.

" I will," I answer softly. "And I'll miss you every second of every minute along the way."

Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid clears her throat. Her blonde hair, which is permed at the moment, swishes along her bright red sweater. "Listen girls!" she calls. "Pheobe, Emma, Shannon, Jess, Cassidy, and I will be in the larger RV. Lily, Calliope, Becca, and Megan, you can take the smaller RV." She turns to where Mrs. Chadwick and Mrs. Wong are about to board their RV. "Lily and Calliope, which one of you is driving first?"

"I will," Megan's mom swiftly replies. "With the distance of the map, if Calliope and I switch every hour and ten minutes, we'll each drive equal amounts of time."

Mrs. Hawthorne nods. "I'll drive for this one," she offers. "Then how about at about twelve thirty we'll stop for lunch?"

Everyone agrees. "Where are we going first?" Becca asks.

"Bedford," her mother informs her. She can tell we're lost. "One of the best school districts in the U.S.A,"she supplies. "And while we're there, we can stop at a fancy restaurant there, the Bedford Village Inn, for a mother daughter tea."

"Fun," I manage.

"It will be," Becca's mother promises.

We board our RV and wave goodbye to the Chadwicks and the Wongs. In front of us is the driver seat. Emma's mom slides in.

"Don't you wanna explore?" Cassidy wonders.

"I already did," she assures her.

Behind Mrs. Hawthorne, a large couch could fit all of us. It's white, like Megan's living room. Next to the flat screen, there's a tiny bar with a pull out stove and a sink. Plus there's a microwave. Next to the couch there's a booth, like ones at diners. There's a tiny hallway beyond that, and in the hallway built in bunks are on the wall.

"Ooh! Top!" I squeal, hoping no one minds.

"Sure, Delaney," Cassidy, amused, says.

There's a bathroom in the hallway. It's incredibly small, with a itty bitty toilet, a sink, and a stand up shower. After the hallway, we are in a small room. It has two twin bed in it. But wait. Where will all our stuff go?

My mom read my mind. "There are compartments on the outside," she says.

"Gotcha," I reply.

I settle in the top bunk, and Emma gets in under me. Mrs. Hawthorne and Mom get the twins in the bedroom, and Mrs Sloane-Kinkaid and Cassidy take the pull out couch.

"Normally I hate sleeping with my mom, but this is a king size bed," Cassidy winks at us.

****LATER*********

I'm lying on my bunk, reading my new favorite book, _Allie & Alex's Audition Rivals._ Allie and Alex are twins (Girls) and they try to stand up to a bully in Allie's dance studio and play pranks on her. It's hilarious. We just stopped for rubbery fast food for lunch, and everyone's relaxing. Emma's mom is taking a nap, my mother's driving, Cassidy, Emma, and Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid are watching some TV. The other RV is behind us. Suddenly Mom shouts," One more hour till Bedford!" I whoop. So does Emma and Cassidy. Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid just seems relieved.

I decide I don't want to be tired for Bedford. I got up at 7 this morning because I was too excited to wait. I bookmark my spot and drift off, thinking of mother-daughter teas, top bunks, and Allie and Alex Bliss.

Cassidy is gently shaking me. "Jess?" she whispers. "We're here!" I thorw my covers off of me and toss my tangled blonde hair into a bun. I pull my parka over me and step out.

Shoot, it's cold. I wrap my coat tighter. It's freezing here in Bedford! Plus, it's snowing lightly. "Where are we?" I ask through chattering teeth.

"This," replies Mrs. Wong," is Bedford Town Common. It's brand new, and quite quaint. I thought we'd take a walk through it. It's won't take long. Then we can drive around. Oh, I just remebered! Calliope set up a school scavenger hunt!"

Mrs. Chadwaick seems smug. "The girl who finds the most schools wins a prize," she says. "It's appropriate because this town is famous for the schooling."

We walk through an arbor. Megan admires a slab of granite and it says," Thank you to our sponsors." A list of names are on it.

"How nice," she remarks.

There's a stone pathway, but it's covered in snow. Then we see a huge gazibo and a stretch of plain land. Granite benches are scattered around it. Wow, this really is the Granite State!

"Imagine how pretty it looks in the summer, bands playing in it," Mom dreamily suggests. I try and it seems awesome. I wish we could have gone in the summer.

On the other hand, we wouldn't have been able to ski, and Cassidy would have been bummed.

Beyond the gazibo is a big lake. It's frozen over. Only one couple is skating on it, holding hands. I feel a pang. I miss Darcy more than ever! I make a mental note to text him tonight.

We go back to the RVs. Let the scavenger hunt begin! "Go to the left," Cassidy suggests.

We drive to the left and just keep going. We see a red and blue sign that reads,"Ross A. Lurgio Middle School & Bedford High School."

"Who is Ross A. Lurgio?" Emma asks.

"Not sure," her mother says mournfully. We drive up the winding driveway and see the schools! They are huge! BHS is three stories and RAL is two. "Nice," comments Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid.

"Where to go next?" My mom says.

I hesitate. "Go left."

We do, and I'm rewarded with a sign that reads," McKelvie Intermediate School." "What's an Intermediate School?" I ask, figuring Mrs. Hawthorne knows this.

She does, of course. "Jess," she answers, "In Bedford, Elementery school is grades K-4. Intermediate school is 5&6. Middle is 7&8 and High is 9,10,11, and 12." I nod.

"Now let's see what else we can find!" Mrs. Sloane Kinkaid says. "All that's left is Riddle Brook Elementery, Memorial Elementery, and Peter Woodbury Elementery." We go straight and then left. Emma spots Peter Woodbury. Cassidy notices Memorial as we cross over a bridge over 101. And lastly, I see Riddle Brook.

"Let's meet with the other half of the MDBC," says Mom. We meet in the Riddle Brook parking lot.

We climb out. Becca asks,"Who got the most?"

"I did," Cassidy boasts. I got three and they got two."

Megan nods. "Becca got 2 and I got 4,"she admits. She is awarded a pack of bubble gum as a prize. "Thanks, Mom," she says to the awarder, Mrs. Wong.

"Let's go to the BVI!" Mrs. Chadwick exclaims readily. So we all get ready. It's a formal event. I'm in a gauzy midnight blue dress. Emma's in a cream colored, simply cut dress. Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid does our makeup in the bedroom. We look dashing. Suddenly, Cassidy comes in the room. She's still in the sweatpants.

"Cassidy Ann! Where have you been?" cries her mom.

"In the other RV, watching TV. Why?"

"The tea's in 20 minutes, that's why! Get into your dress, young lady!"

Cassidy cringes. "Umm... I forgot to bring a dress."

"Unbelieveable," she mother sighs. She finishes Emma's blush and calls," Anyone got an extra dress?" No one raises their hand.

Becca races in. 'I have a dress," she pants."It might be a bit small though." She's wearing a satin black skirt and a pink tube top with a white cartigan.

"It's all right," Cassidy's mom assures her. Becca presents the garment bag to her. Cassidy groans and goes into the bathroom to change. She emerges a minute late. The dress is a litle short, but it's okay. It's navy, and it's plain. It's made of the same cotton as Emma's dress. Cassidy puts on her sneakers, but under her mother's watchful eye, takes them off. Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid allows her to borrow a pair of her shoes, silver flats. Cassidy ducks away makeup, and we are ready very soon. We leave the TV and meet the other RV girls in the parking lot. Megan's wearing a black and mint green gauzy dress.

"Smile!" called Mrs. Wong as she snapped a picture of all of us girls together. I ask my mom to take one with my phone, and she does. I quickly send it to Darcy in a text. He replies," You look so beautiful tonight! Have fun! X0X0X0X0!" I remind myself how lucky I am. Then I snap a picture of the mothers. Mom is wearing a burgundy sweater dress. Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid has a slinky black dress on. All of them look gorgeuas, even Mrs. Chadwick in her vibrent yellow tunic. Mrs. Hawthorne and Mrs. Wong have sliky black pants on. Megan's mom has a blue Chinese 'Wong original' top, and Mrs. Hawthorne has a pink cardigan on. I snap the picture and we pile into the RV, ready for the Bedford Village Inn!

***********At the BVI**********

We pull up to a large, yellow shingled building. It reminds me of a house. We enter, and it is quaint and lit by candlelight. "Uh, Wong," Megan's mom tells the hostess. She leads us upstairs, and we gasp with pleasure as we go to our table. The huge floor legnth windows have a view of the moon. Eveything has candles. Our table has a white table cloth. We all have tea. There are dishes of pink and yellow sugar crystals. I pour some pink into mine and take a ladylike sip. Everything's perfect.

We get tiny little sandwiches, and I have two cucumber sandwiches and a tomato one. I make sure to stick my pinky out as I take another sip of tea. It's so good!

For dessert, we have eclairs and chocolate covered strawberries. I take the fragile coating of the chocolate off the friut and eat them seperatly. I don't care if it's unadylike. It's good. I nibble at an eclair, and soon I'm stuffed.

We all are. Except for Cassidy. She's still eating her 4th strawberry.

*********LATER*********

I'm lying in bed. It's ten. Everyone's asleep. We are parked in a mobile home camp. Everyone's getting rest because we have a big day tomorrow. I think we're going to the ski mountian. I've never skiied and I'm a little nervous.

I'm texting Darcy. I tell him about our day. He tells me about his hockey match. I love talking to him. Suddenly he says," Gtg, Jess. Dad busted me 4 staying up 2 late. I luv u! Say hey 2 Em for me! bye X0X0."

I snuggle under the covers, grateful for having such an excellent boyfriend.

**Hi!**

**I hoped you liked my chapter about Bedford. My cousins live there. I researched it and wrote about the stuff there. :) I really, really hope that you love it! Please Review!**

**I'm going to play a game. Whoever gets this trivia question right 1st gets to be in the next chapter! I mean, you will have a character in the next chapter with your name. Please give your name (real or fake, I understand internet privacy policies), and you will be in the next chapter!**

**Really Hard question- In the 4th book, Mr. Mueller doesn't accept Jess's offer to pay for Lydia's care, but he does want something else. What is it?!**

**Thanks 4 Reading,**

**Cassie**


	3. Megan-3

**I'm so sorry it's late! I was almost done... and BAM! I pressed a button accedentely and DELETED EVERYTHING I HAD WRITTEN FOR THE CHAPTER. And it was a lot! I almost started crying. :(**

**Side Note- Gustavo's in this chapter! I didn't forget!**

*************Megan************

I'm lying on the bottom bunk. Above me, Becca is snoring softly. I notice a light flicker on in the RV parked next to us, the other half of the mother-daughter-book-club. The top bunk. It's got to be Jess. I flip my cell open and dial her number. After a couple rings, Jess picks up.

"Hey," I say casually.

"Hey yourself. Why are you still up?"

"Oh... couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"Same."

"There's a long silence, then Jess bursts out," Oh, all right. I miss him. Darcy." she hesitates. "But it must be a million times harder on you because Simon is all the way in England."

I choke back tears. "It's all right," I manage. The truth is, I miss Simon a lot. We videochat everyday, and not being able to do that this week is killing me. "Hold on," I whisper to Jess. Someone in the Mother's room had gotten up. If it was Becca's mom, she'd let me stay up. But if it was my mother, I'd be in big trouble. I cross my fingers.

Of course, it's my mother. I try to turn off my phone, but it's too late and the glow illuminates my face anyway. She crosses her arms against her chest and growls, "Megan Rose, you should know better than this! Staying up to midnight on your cell phone? Turn it off IMMEDIATLY!"

"Bye, Jess," I mutter. I press END CALL and glower at Mom before she returns to her bed. I cross the room and set it on the eating booth, and I cuddle under the cream colored covers.

It feels like I've been asleep five minutes before Becca's shaking me to get up. "Come on," she urges. "We're headed to Panera for breakfast with the rest of the Mother-daughter book club."

I pull the pillow over my head. "No way," I mumble. "What time is it, four?"

Becca yanks the pillow back and shakes her head. "It's seven, Megs, and it takes an hour and a half to get to Loon fom here." I drag myself out of bed and carry my suitcase into the bathroom. I go in, red-eyed and half asleep, and emerge a healthy, glowing sixteen year old girl. Makeup should be the eighth wonder of the world.

I braid my shiny black hair on the sofa in the main room, and Becca, next to me, pulls her sleek blonde hair into a bun. Mrs. Chadwick spots us and frowns.

"What's wrong?" I ask hesitently. "Did we forget mascara?"

She chuckles. "No, Megs. Girls, skiing is cold. You need something other than what you're wearing now."

I look down at my flowing blue tank top and my designer skirt. Becca glances at her pink halter top and skinny jeans. "Well, what if we run into guys?" she ask

"Then they'll be impressed on your ability to bundle up. C'mon ladies, get into your long underpants and turtle necks!" I stare at her, horrified.

My mother lets me borrow a pair of her spare long underwear and Becca borrows her mom's spare pair. (They're a little big, but I make them work with a couple safety pins.) I redress in a thick purple turtleneck my mother must have snuck in for me. Becca borrows a pair of Cassidy's many tutlenecks, and we are off to Panera.

We arrive about twenty minutes later, and we take our food into the big RV. It's my first time in there, and it's basicly a larger version of ours. The pull out bed is pushed back into place, and we plop ourselves down where-ever. The moms end up at the booth, and Mrs. Chadwick sitting on a cooler at the end. Emma, Jess, and Becca are sitting on the couch. Cassidy and I sit on the edge of Emma's bed. It's messed up, but comfy.

"I hope some hot guy notices me," Becca remarks, picking at her breakfast sandwich.

"Wait," Emma points her finger at Becca, her mouth full of bacon and eggs. "What about Theo?"

Becca shrugs neutrally. "We were just so far apart, and it was hard to stay in touch. Frankly, I didn't even try. I'm awful, aren't I?"

Jess shakes her head and takes a bite of her scone. "Nah. You just didn't have the _spark_. Y'now, it's like the heavens are open, the angles are singing, and life just feels like a blessing."

Everyone, even Cassidy, nods. Except for Becca. She just looks sad.

I decide to change the subject. "I wish Gigi was here." I nibble my coffee cake. 'She really wanted to, but she couldn't."

"Oh yeah!" exclaims Emma. "How is she, anyway?"

"Where is she?" asks Cassidy. She's already finished her bagel and is starting another . "I mean, why isn't she here?"

"She's in Paris," I inform her. "On her honeymoon with Sophie's grandfather. I guess they're having a blast." I sigh, remebering those magical days I spent there. "Sophie went too, and she's staying at her father's house."

Suddenly, the clock strikes eight, and we hustle out of the RV.

LATER

I'm lying in our RV. Becca's mom is driving. My mother is reading some Going Green magazine and Becca's watching a movie with me. Suddenly I am aware of the beautiful mountains outside, snowcapped and the sun beaming down at them. I snap a picture with my phone. Becca looks awed. "Will we be skiing down this?"

"Noooooo way," answers her mother. "Most of us have never skiied before and we'll probably stick to the beginner slope."

Half an hour later, we are in the lodge, renting skiies and ski boots. They are hideous, navy blue and grey. I heft my skiies. They're heavy! I huff and puff outside. Plus, my boots wiegh like... a million pounds.

"Where do we go?" I pant.

Mrs. Hawthorne pointed to the left. "The gondola."

Mrs. Chadwick groans. "I thought we'd be starting off simpler."

"Nonsense, Calliope, where's your sense of adventure?" teases Mrs. Delaney.

I was baffled until I realized the gondola wasn't a huge Italian boat. It was a tiny cable car! We all bent down to snap on our skiies. We pushed onto each other to make each other go forward to the gondola. I got pushed on so many times I fell down.

"Guys!" I scream. "A little help?"

But they don't hear me. I watch as the mothers board one gondola and the daughters in the other. I pull myself up and re snap my skies on. I push myself on against the ground to go forward. After about five minutes, I reach the lift and felt stupid when you actually had to take off your skies. I put them on the outside and boarded. Three kids behind me also boarded. A boy and two girls. The boy sat on my side and the girls sat on the side across from us.

"Hey," I stutter. "I'm Megan. Megan Wong."

"Hey," replies one girl. She looks excited and reminds me of Cassidy, the eagerness. "I'm Isabella Lee. This is Sarah Maire." The girl next to her reminds me of Jess. More reserved.

"Hey,"says the boy next to me. "I'm Gustavo. Have you ever been skiing before?"

"No," I admit. "You?"

"Yeah. I ski here all the time. And Isabella and Sarah ski here a lot too."

My phone buzzes. It's a text from Mom. "Where are you?"

"On a diff gondola," I respond. "Got left behind."

"Omygosh, so sorry dear!"

"It's fine."

"We'll wait for you!"

"Thx."

I turn to my new friends. "How old are you?"

"We're sixteen," replies Isabella.

I do a double take. She's even smaller than Jess! She giggles. "Yeah. I get that a lot. And how old are you?"

"Same. I'm here with my friends. And they're sixteen too."

Sarah nods. "Nice. Our families do this big ski trip every year. As if it's far. We live in Bedford."

I gasp. "No way! I was there yesterday!"

We chat for a while about Bedford.

Gustavo turns to me. "You say you've never skiied before," he observes.

I nod.

"How would you like us to give you lessons?"

I grin. "Great! All my friends will be thrilled."

We get off, and I introduce them to the mother-daughter book club. Then we zoom down the slopes like nobody's business.

"Put your ski tips togther to stop!" Gustavo yells. Then Sarah screams," Or make them parallel!"

The last one sounds tricky, so I take Gustavo's advice. But Cassidy and Emma take Sarah's. Cassidy manages to stop, sending up a shower of snow. But Emma topples over. She promptly stands up. "I'm all right," she says proudly.

"Can you teach us to jump?" Cassidy asks eagerly.

A grin spreads across their faces. "Watch and learn," they all say at the same time.

Sarah spins around in midair and manages to stop before going off a small jump. Gustavo swiftly avoids moguls and ends with going off the side of a seven foot jump. Isabella goes off the same jump and gives us peace signs in midair. Then she goes off a smaller jump in the woods. She reappeares smiling. "As you can see, we're not pros," Gustavo admits.

"Are you kidding?" I blurt. "You're amazing!"

Jess cockes her head. "Totally. Hey, I'm gonna try a jump!" She skies to the seven foot one.

"No!"I shriek.

"Jess!" Emma cries.

"Don't do it!" urges Cassidy.

"Please!" yelps Becca.

Jess flashes us a thumbs up. Then she's gone, and I'm can't think because surely Jess is injured. I'm amazed when I see her powder- blue figure soar up into the sky, and then she makes her way back to us.

I stare at her. "How... but... why... WHEN?" I sputter.

"How did you learn to ski?" asks Emma, who's as shocked as I am.

Jess smiles smugly. "I ski sometimes when I visit my Aunt and Uncle up here. That's how I've gotten so good."

I laugh. This book club is full of surprises.

LATER

It's gotten dark. I'm dismayed when Gustavo's parents come to get our new friends and bring them back to the hotel room.

"Bye, Gustavo," I say tearfully as we hug him good-bye. "And bye, Sarah. Bye, Isabella. I'll miss you guys."

"I'll miss you guys too," Sarah admits. Isabella and Gustavo nod. We exchange email adresses. "Maybe you can come to Concord soon," Becca suggests.

Gustavo, Sarah, and Isabella nod thoughtfully.

"Gustavo! C'mon!" yells his dad.

"Well, I guess this is bye," I remark as we part, them going to the hotel room and us going to the RV camp.

**'Sup!**

**Hey, It's Cassie again. Dess4ever got the trivia question right last time! (Gustavo) Congrats! Okay, review replying time!**

**Dess4ever-Chapter1- Thank you!**

**Anagram29-Chapter1- Thanks! I love it when the Mdbc has another adventure!**

**Dess4ever-Chapter2- ding ding ding! Correct!**

**Anagram29-Chapter2- Thanks so much!I love Jess!**

**Guest-Chapter1- Thank you! I adore Heather Vogel Frederick's style! And Jess and Darcy are so cute I couln't resist a little Jarcy fluff!**

**Guest-Chapter2- Thanks! I don't like cliffhangers myself, so I never try to keep an audience waiting too long for an update!**

**Mdbcfan101-Chapter1-Well, here ya go! Thank you!**

**Everyone-Thanks for the kind reviews!They put a big smile on my face!**

**Trivia Question- In Book#1- What does Becca sarcasticly compliment on Emma in Chapter One?**

**(If Gustavo answers again, please put another name! It would be weird to have 2 people with the same name/ same character stalking the MDBC! LOL!)**

**Thanks again- Cassie :}**


	4. Emma-4

**FYI... Ana's in this chapter! **

**"**Sick!"

The word seems hard against the peaceful silence. I turn around from my seat on the bed in the Mother's bedroom on the RV. Cassidy is on her phone, gawking at the screen.

"What is it, Cass?"

She looks up and her face splits into a grin. "The Bruins just beat the Ottowa Senators, seven to two!" she crows. Jess strides in.

"What are you guys talking about?" she wants to know.

Cassidy tells her the news and Jess plops herself on the bed. Her brown sweater's hood smacks my shoulder, and I laugh.

Jess re-ties her hair into the cute braid she always wears. "Where are we?" she asks after a couple moments.

I gnaw at my lip. I have no clue where we are. All I know is that after we left the RV camp last night after skiing, we had breakfast in the Wong/Chadwick RV. Mrs. Wong cooked up something really smelly and Becca's mom saved the day with a pack of doughnuts. Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid had been driving since then, at ten. It's about ten thirty now.

I grunt. I don't know where our next destination is, and really hope that it's not too far. I don't think it is. New Hampshire isn't really... _large. _Cassidy plucks a stray piece of vibrent red hair away from her eyes. "I'm bored," she admits.

Jess nods and I agree. I yell into the living area," Mom, how many more minutes?" I know it's a childish thing to say, but I don't care. When she doesn't answer, we walk towards her. She's curled up on the couch with a novel and Mrs. Delaney is tapping away at her iPhone.

"What's that?" Jess cranes her head to get a better look of the screen.

Mrs. Delaney whips it away. "Never you mind," she says haughtily. "It's just arrangments for our next stop."

I perk up. "When will we be there?" I ask again.

Mom glances at her watch. "About half an hour," she replies cautiously. "Oh, Clementine." she jumps up from her spot on the couch. "I think it's my turn now."

As Cassidy's mom pulls over and switches spots with my mom, I get a glimpse of Mrs. Delaney's face. She looks... troubled.

"What's up, Mrs. D?" I ask, startling her.

"Aw, nothing Em. Just a quick question, have you guys seen Frozen?"

Jess stares at her. "That's the movie with the... the princess with the white hair and the Let It Go song?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, I saw it. You forced me to go with the twins, remember?"

Mrs. Delaney chuckles. "It was good, though, right?"

Jess shrugs grudginly. "Yeah."

"I saw it," Cass pipes up. "It was supposed to be really good, so I went with Megan and Becca and Zach and Third and a whole bunch of other people. It _was_ really good."

"Same," I admit. " I went to see _Catching Fire _but it was all sold out, and yeah, it was amazing."

Her face clears. "Great. You said Becca and Megs have seen it?"

Cassidy flashes her a thumbs up.

"Fantastic. Just... awesome. Wasn't the castle in it nice?"

"Way cool," Cassdiy approves.

"Terrific," Jess agrees.

"Totally," I remark.

I never saw where this was going.

About twenty minutes later, we pull into a parking lot. And towering over it is... _the castle_.

Literally! Made entirely of ice! It took my breath away.

Megs and Becca had arrived a few minutes before us and they still haven't gotten over seeing the sheer beauty of this thing. Suddenly, I notice a familiar looking ponytail rippling down the back of the tall girl next to me. And her expensive-looking fur coat looks exactly like something a certain friend might wear...

"Savannah?" Jess cries in disbelief.

The girl looks over. This wasn't Savannah Sinclair. No, I've never seen her before. "Sorry," Jess mumbles.

The girl smiles politely. "It's quite all right," she answers. She has a British accent.

"Are you from England?" Becca asks curiously.

The girl nods. "Yes, from Bath. I'm visiting my family here, in America. I'm Ana."

Cassidy blurts," Do you know Tristan and Simon Berkely?"

Ana's mouth falls open. "You _know _them? I'm their cousin on their father's side!"

I nod, excited. "And I lived in Bath for a year!"

Ana beckons to a pair of boys a couple feet away. "Tris! Si!" she calls. The Berkely boys appear.

Megan launches herself into Simon's arms. He staggers, surprised, then wraps his arms around her tightly.

Cassidy and Tristan grin and slap each other five, then pull each other into a 'bro' hug.

When the pairs release, I manage to say breathlessly," Why are you here?"

Simon grins. "Mum and Dad are on a business trip here, and we decided just to stay the whole week." He winks at Megan. "It was a supposed to be a surprise, but Ana here ruined it." He has a playful smile on his face.

Ana holds her hands up on mock surrender. We giggle. ''Have you guys explored the castle?" Jess asks suddenly.

"No," Ana admits. "Have you... um..." she glances at Tristan.

"Jess," he supplies. "Jess Delaney. And that's Cassidy Sloane," he points at Cassidy," Megan Wong, Becca Chadwick, and Emma Hawthorne." I wave.

We head inside the castle, with our mothers far in front of us. I shiver and wrap my jacket around myself. I wish Stewart was here. He'd admire everything about the castle in such a poetic way, and then offer me his coat.

"Look at the architecture!" Becca exclaims. She runs over and touches the ice. "Neat!"

Tristan's cell phone rings. He flips it open and a guilty look crosses his face. He glances at Cassidy, who is laughing at a joke Ana just told, and hastily excuses himself. He runs down an icy hall. "Hey..." I can hear him saying.

I need to get to the bottom of this.

Jess yanks at my sleeve. "Emma, c'mon," she urges. "Check out this cool staircase!"

I'll get to the bottom of that later.

After the mothers had realized the Berkelys were here, they hooked up with Ana's father, brother to Mr. Berkely, and decided to grab dinner together.

We decided to eat at Olive Garden and somehow find a booth that seats 14. I find myself sandwiched between Megan and Ana.

After we order, we get to talking. "Simon, how did you know where we would be?" I practically have to yell across the table.

"I didn't really," he answers, much more civilized than me. "I just went to see the castle, and Jess spotted Ana."

Tristan's phone rings AGAIN. He glances at it, and a crease forms between his dark eyebrows. He stuffs it in his back pocket.

The waitress comes back, looking slightly flustered due to the sheer amount of food ordered. I dig into my pasta and meatballs. Jess fishes pieces of crouton out of her salad and Ana cuts her lasagna with ladylike flexes of her hands.

By the time the waitress arrives again to request about dessert, we are all full. I watch suspiciously as Tristan fingers his phone and announces that he's going to the bathroom.

I grab Jess by the wrist and follow him.

"Ow! Where are we going?" Jess asks. I shush her and mutter,"Spying on Tristan."

Tris takes a sharp turn to the right and out the door. The fridgid air engulfs me and I hurry to catch up with Tristan. He rounds a corner. I pull Jess around the corner he's leaning against. I hear the _beep boop boop_s of him dialing a number.

A moment passes, and then I hear Tristan's relieved sigh. "Hey, Zoey."

Zoey? A girl? I lean over and strain to hear every word.

"Listen, you need to stop calling every second of every minute!" He looks around nervously. "Cause Cassidy's here."

Boom. Bomb dropped. That's it. Tristan has a girlfriend back in England. A secret girlfriend.

"Yeah, I promise I love you." I hear worried chattering on the other side of the line. "And I _promise _I love you more than Big, Bad, Cassidy Sloane." He guffaws.

Anger, hot and boiling, blooms in my stomach. I reach for Tristan, but Jess grabs me. I flatten myself against the wall, certain he'd seen a glimpse of my pink fleece. But nothing happens.

"All right. I'll see you soon, babe." There's a _ding_ as he hangs up. Jess and I scurry into the building and into the bathroom.

"Woah," Jess pants, leaning against a stall door. "I can _not _believe Tristan is cheating on Cassidy."

I feel fury again. "I know!" I exclaim. "She can do so much better than him!" I stomp against the pale tile on the floor.

An elderly woman enters the room and raises her eyebrows when she hears my anger. I nudge Jess and we go to the table, just in time to hear Mrs. Wong talking to the waitress.

"No, we won't be taking any dessert tonight," she informs her. A groan arises from the table. She turns around and the waitress leaves. She's grinning. "We can go back to the RVs for dessert!"

We cheer. Mrs. Chadwick pipes up," We brought cookies and hot chocolate! Berkeleys, you are welcome too!"

Half an hour later we are sipping our cocoa and munching on our chocoalte chip cookies. Turns out Becca's mother is a fabulous baker. The moms and Ana's dad are chatting politely in the Wong/Chadwick RV and us kids are goofing off in the big RV.

"Oops! Didn't mean to do that!" Cassidy shrieks gleefully as she *accidentaly* trips Becca. But Becca just gets up, brushes off her peach colored sweater, and basically busts a gut laughing. I watch Cassidy's expression wistfully. Will she ever be that happy again when she realizes the news?

Ana and Megan are talking loudly over the ruckus. I decide to join them sitting on the bunks.

"Hey guys," I shout.

"Hey back," Ana bellows. She grins.

"I was just talking to Ana about school," Megan explains.

"I'm a senior," Ana adds.

"And super smart," Megan informs me. "She's in Honours _everything_."

I smile, but I'm quickly distracted by Tristan reaching for his phone. _Again_? I wonder. I excuse myself, saying something about going to the bathroom. Tristan slips into the bedroom and shuts the door. I inch it open. Tristan's sitting on the far bed, his back to me. He doesn't see me. I slowly close the door, silently, and crouch under the bed. I barely dare to breathe.

"Zoey," he's saying. "I need you to know that I love you more than anyone else in the world." he sighs. "No, I haven't told her yet. I need to let her down easy, babe." He sets it on speakerphone as he ties his shoe.

Zoey's voice sound so annoying, high pitched and needy. "Big, Bad, Cassidy Sloane sounds like a big,bad loser. I mean, a 'tough girl', but too sensative to lose a guy?" she snorts. "You don't deserve her, Tris."

I clutch my fists in anger. I wait quietly, waiting to hear what Tristan replies.

"She's not such a loser," he answers carefully. "She's just not as awesome as you." He checks his watch. "Aw, man. Got to go, Zoey."

"Love ya," she replies, and my blood boils.

"Bye."

He stands and as he leaves, I stick out my foot from under the bed. He stumbles, looks down, and yells in horror. I squeeze myself out of my little hiding spot and glare at him.

"What are y-you doing, Emma?" His voice is unsteady.

I grab his shirt. "I heard every minute of that call with Zoey, and the one outside Olive Garden, too! How could you betray Cassidy like that? After all she's done for you?" I kick him in the shins.

He's staring daggers at me. "It's not up to you about who I date. So if I were you, I'd leave." His tone is almost as cold as the castle.

"No!" I scream. "You don't deserve Cassidy! You could live a thousand and ONE lifetimes and not deserve her! She'd never cheat on you! And this is how you repay her?" I bang against the door. I can't open it; Tristan's in the way.

Becca, Megan, Jess, Simon, Ana and Cassidy all come running and Tristan lets them in. "What's going on?" Cassidy cries. She is staring at me desperatly, her face disfigured with panic.

I glance at her, feeling helpless. "I think you'd better here it from Tris," I say in a low voice.

Tristan steps forward and takes her hand, but she snatches it back. He looks at her, his blue eyes full of woe. "Cassidy...I...I..." he stutters.

"I have another girlfriend."

A moment of shocked silence.

Then tears stream down her face and she runs.

**Hi, it's Cassie. Sorry this chapter is so depressing. :( Just saying, Ana (Anagram29) won the last question. This week's question-**

**In ****_Much Ado About Anne_****, Cassidy is a model for the fashion show. When she is February, what does she wear?**

**Happy Valentine's Day to you and your loved ones!**

**Au Revior!**

**All the Best,**

**Cassie**


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